Finding Insight

by Katherine Kim

  “Good. Now eat, both of you.” Doc stood from where she’d been perched on the chair of Sebastian’s chair and hustled back to the counter where Sarah stood, deep in conversation with an older gentleman.

  Sebastian and Gabe sat in silence while they started eating. Gabe ate slowly, like he was savoring each bite and storing the memory away for later. He probably was, Sebastian realized. If the kid didn’t have a steady income or a place to live where he could keep food and prepare it, then it seemed likely that a solid meal like this one was a rarity in his life. Once they finished their sandwiches, Sebastian felt like it was a good time to try to learn more about his new acquaintance.

  “So, do you live near by? I can give you a lift home when you’re done if you want, in case that jerk from earlier is still around,” he said. He knew Gabe did live reasonably close, close enough to be walkable, though he was hesitant to call the Wight Cave a home.

  “Um, that’s okay. Thanks though. I can walk back. I’m used to it, anyway, cause I don’t have a car,” Gabe said. “And it’s good exercise, you know?”

  “That’s cool. You still live with your folks then? It’s not too cheap around here anymore, unfortunately. I got lucky. My grandmother owned an apartment complex nearby and left me and my brother Kai in charge of managing it, so we get our own place over there for cheap,” Seb tried not to look like he was watching Gabe closely. The younger man was finally starting to relax a little in the chair.

  “Nah. I’ve lived on my own for a couple of years. It’s nothing fancy, but it’s a place to sleep. You know how it goes.” Gabe fidgeted a little with the mug, turning it in his hands before pouring the rest of the tea into it. A curl of steam drifted out of the cup and Gabe watched it carefully.

  “Yeah, I get that.” Sebastian thought that Gabe was at least being honest about his living arrangement. A sleeping bag by a cave is not fancy at all.

  “This is pretty good tea. Seems like a popular place,” Gabe said. He looked around at the people scattered around the room.

  “Yeah. Doc’s done pretty well for herself, and Sarah’s learned a lot since she got here. They close fairly early on weekdays though. About half an hour from now.”

  Gabe nodded and looked around more. Sebastian could almost watch the tension melt out of his shoulders. Whatever spell Sarah had cast over the tea must be helping. Hopefully Gabe wouldn’t have any nightmares tonight, and would get some much needed rest after all this. Then again, Sebastian was worried about that guy— Gabe knew his name. Which meant that David was known to Gabe, and that made it plausible that David also knew where Gabe was sleeping.

  And that thought made Sebastian uncomfortable.

  “Hey,” he said, drawing Gabe’s attention back to the conversation. “I hate to pry, and you can tell me to buzz off if you want, but that guy earlier. You called him David? Is he going to show up at your place and hassle you there?” Sebastian hoped he looked only mildly concerned, like any new acquaintance would over someone’s safety. Gabe swallowed the last of his tea and put the cup down neatly next to the teapot.

  “No. He doesn’t know where I live, anyway. He’s just a guy I met a couple of times, that’s all. Overbearing and arrogant, but it’s fine.” Gabe nudged the cup around with tiny movements, trying out different arrangements of pot, cup, and empty plate. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Why did you help me? Why is Doc helping me?” Gabe frowned at his empty bowl.

  “Besides it being the right thing to do?” Sebastian considered his new friend for a moment, trying to decide how not to scare the boy off. “Have you ever just had this feeling you couldn’t explain?” Seb was surprised when Gabe’s whole body tensed, his fingers turning white where they gripped the cup and his jaw tensing. Sebastian almost reached out to put a reassuring hand on Gabe’s arm, but drew back at the last moment.

  “I just had a good feeling about you, that’s all. And that guy gave me the shivers.” Sebastian had no idea what he’d said to set the boy on alert like that. Gabe was trembling and his mouth opened once, twice, like he wanted to say something but kept silent.

  “Hey, you’re safe here.” Sebastian honestly didn’t know what else to say. “Nobody here is going to hurt you or make you do anything you don’t want. I swear it.” He put a little of his magic in to his voice again, letting the power of his promise settle into Gabriel’s mind. Gabe, for his part, finally flicked his eyes up to meet Sebastian’s, and though he was frowning and chewing on his lip, he managed a small nod.

  “I should probably get going now, anyway. If I’m going to be back here to work off my debt in the morning, I ought to get a good night’s sleep, you know?”

  “Sure. But you don’t have to worry. Doc’s pretty cool. She fusses and worries, but she’s a sweetheart.” Sebastian tipped his head and tried one last time. “Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you home? In case that David guy is still hanging around? I just really didn’t like the look of that creep.” Gabe flashed him a small smile, the first genuine one Sebastian had seen this evening, though he still didn’t meet Seb’s eyes.

  “Nah. I’ll be fine. Thanks though. Tell Doc not to worry, I’ll be here and ready to work at ten.” Gabe stood up and dusted a few crumbs off his knees, and nodded to Sebastian before slouching out the front door. Sebastian didn’t even have to look to know that Sarah was standing by his elbow before the door finished closing.

  “You’re going to follow him?” she asked. He turned and watched her start picking up the dishes from the table and reached out to tuck some of her brown hair behind her ear.

  “Yeah. I wanted to take you to a movie tonight or something, but I’m worried about that kid.”

  Sarah stacked the plates on her tray and glanced up at him, then over to the door. She nodded.

  “Me, too. He seems like he needs a friend. Or two,” she said.

  “Thanks, sweetheart. I’ll be home soon as I’m sure he’s safe.” Sebastian leaned over and brushed a kiss over her cheek before heading out the door himself. He closed his eyes for a moment once he was out on the sidewalk, breathing in the cooling air of dusk and letting the sounds of traffic and humanity wash over him. The barest hint of a scent tickled his mind and even though he already knew where Gabe was heading he was glad that he could follow the exact route.

  Two blocks down the trail he found a nice deep pocket of shadow to step into, and a moment later nobody cared when a fox trotted back out, heading for the Flume Trail that would lead him into the woods.

  6

  “I’m sorry about this, Seb. It’s the dumbest thing. I think my brain was switched off or something.”

  Sebastian chuckled from his position under the sink. Jennifer was definitely embarrassed, and he’d never seen the woman this flustered. Although, to be fair, he’d also never seen a competent adult woman who was a single mother of two teenage boys and an excellent lawyer— not to mention a terrifyingly fierce griffon guardian of anything she chooses to protect— try to scrape the plates into a garbage disposal, salmon bones, rice and all.

  “I’m going to go with the idea that you’ve been working too hard and need to take a weekend off. Everyone does dumb stuff once in a while. Besides, you were about due for a replacement anyway. Records say that this thing hasn’t been changed out since before you moved in, and that was what, fifteen years ago?” Sebastian groped blindly for the tool he’d just put down.

  “Yeah, about that. Asher was just a baby when I moved here.” Jennifer sighed. “It was absolutely lifesaving to meet Keiko. She took one look at me holding Asher with Judah whining at my feet just a few days after their father’s funeral and just swooped in. There must have been desperation written all over my face or something. I couldn’t have done it without your grandmother. My boys would have ended up living on the streets cause I couldn’t keep it together on my own.”

  Her voice was soft now, but Sebastian remembered when he’d arrived as usual one summer and the Andersons
were there. Jennifer had been crushed by her husband’s death, and his grandmother had asked him and Kai to be as helpful to the sad woman as they could. Sebastian still felt a little like Judah and Asher were his little cousins to look after, though they were teens now and were themselves looking after other kids in the Village.

  “Hey, can I ask you something?” Sebastian slid out from under the sink and started wiping his hands on a rag. Jennifer tipped her head at him and nodded.

  “Sure.”

  “Do you know anything about the laws for runaways? I mean like helping one out or putting them up or something.” He frowned, not really sure how to phrase what he wanted to know. Jennifer raised an eyebrow.

  “Is this about the kid living up by the Wight Cave?” she asked. Sebastian nodded and a smile flickered over her face. “Well, I can do a little research for you, but are you sure that he’s a runaway? He’s not just some homeless guy?”

  “I’m not sure at all, no.” Sebastian grimaced. “Sometimes he looks so young, you know? But that might just be because he’s too skinny. Then sometimes the look on his face…. He’s got old eyes, you know? Like he’s seen things nobody his age should have seen.” Sebastian rubbed his hand over his eyes.

  “Well, if he’s legally an adult, then you’re fine as long as there’s no warrants out for his arrest or anything. If he’s a minor, I’m not sure. I think you’d be okay if you just notified a shelter or the police or something, but like I said, I’d have to check. I know runaways aren’t arrested or anything, but they are picked up sometimes for vagrancy or whatever. Runaway kids are a surprisingly complicated issue.” Jennifer sat at her kitchen table and propped her chin on one fist. “Is that kid in some kind of trouble? You’ve got that look.”

  “What look?”

  “That ‘I’m going to solve this problem’ look you Russell boys get. You’ve gotten attached to that kid, haven’t you?” Jennifer grinned at him and he ducked his head to avoid her twinkling eyes.

  “His name is Gabe, and he’s working with Doc and Sarah today. And yeah, I’m kind of curious about him. There’s something going on with him.” Sebastian shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know. It’s probably nothing. Just some kid who doesn’t like his parents or whatever.” He stood and started packing up his tools. “Anyway, you’re all set. Just no more fish, okay?”

  “God. I’m never living that down. The boys about died laughing when I did it and the thing jammed up.” Jennifer buried her face in her arms on the table and Sebastian started laughing. He just patted her on the shoulder and walked to the door.

  “Let me know if you need anything else. Oh, hey. Sarah and I are going to have folks over for a potluck on Saturday after the shop closes. You three are welcome to join us. We’ll be firing up the grill, and staying late for Marcus.”

  “I’ll see if the boys have plans, but I’ll be there! See you then.” Jennifer answered. Sebastian walked out the door and smiled to himself. The disposal was a quick fix once he had the part, and he liked helping out around the Village. It helped him feel useful around so many full-blooded spirits. He was only a quarter himself, if these things measured mathematically. Only one of his grandparents— Keiko— had been a spirit, though she’d been fairly powerful. She’d been old already when she met their grandfather and fell in love, and by the time Sebastian himself was on the scene, she seemed like the wisest person he’d ever know.

  Seb wished he had even one quarter of her wisdom, or he’d have a better idea of what to do with Gabe. Did the kid make it in to the tea shop this morning like he’d said? Sebastian had followed him back to his camp last night, and came out in the open as a fox to watch Gabe set his sleeping bag up. Gabe, for his part, had eyed him for a long moment with an odd frown before shrugging and slowly starting to chat about random stuff.

  Kid had it rough.

  Was he with Doc and Sarah now? If he was, he was safe and being looked after whether he noticed it or not. The Apothecary was well warded against people with violent tendencies, who would develop an aversion to going inside or even near the place. The one time someone did make it past the ward anyway, Doc blocked his attack and took him down with one fluid move. You don’t want to mess with a witch who’s been studying judo for thirty years.

  “Hey, Sebastian!” Kai’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

  “Hey. How’s your morning going?” Sebastian thought Kai looked tired, but otherwise happy. He and Marcus had taken to staying up late talking before Kai did a patrol around the area. Sometimes Marcus would go with him, too, being nocturnal and all, though he always made sure someone was there with his sleeping daughter.

  “Eh, not too bad. I was just checking in on the clubhouse renovation and it’s moving along nicely. Should be done on time or maybe a day or two ahead. We’ll be able to have next month’s pool potluck over there again, no problem.” Kai smiled and swiped his hair off his face again.

  “You know, Sarah has threatened to cut your hair. Maybe you should look into that on your own before she comes after you with a pair of scissors?” Sebastian said. He laughed at the scrunched up face Kai made at that question.

  “I like my hair, thank you very much.” He flipped it over his cheek to brush the top of his shoulders before shooting Sebastian a scowl that was entirely ruined when he laughed. “Anyway. You looked pretty deep in thought there, man. What’s going on?”

  “Just wondering what to do about Gabe. He’s over at the Apothecary today. Well, that was the plan last night anyway,” Sebastian answered. Kai nodded.

  “Well, you said you thought he’s sick, maybe, right?” Kai asked. “He’s in a good place if he is. Doc’ll figure it out and if it’s not something she can deal with then she’ll get him to the walk-in clinic. What do you think that guy last night was about?”

  Sebastian shook his head and tugged the office door open. His tool bag thudded into the corner where it lived about half the time and he dropped himself into his own desk chair, at right angles to Kai’s.

  “No idea.” Sebastian dropped his head back to rest on the back of the chair. “Gabe played it off, but I think he was nervous about the whole thing. I hate to say it but drugs are the only thing I can think of that would cover both situations. I mean they would definitely make him sick, it’s possible that he could be kicked out of any college housing he was in for using— I mean he’s about the right age to be a freshman somewhere I’d guess. That David guy could have been his dealer, maybe.”

  “True. I’ve never gotten an addict sort of vibe from him, though. At least not at night when I’ve gone by and that seems like when he’d indulge if he was trying to seem functional for the most part, don’t you think? I don’ know, I’ve never had to deal with that sort of thing, thank god.” Kai leaned his arms over on his desktop and propped his head on his hands.

  “Yeah. I think it’s something else. Just a gut feeling,” Sebastian said. It was true, too. There was something about the kid that was making him nervous. Not so much of Gabe himself, but about the way he was behaving. Gabe was in some kind of trouble and the questions Sebastian had were if they could help Gabe and whether Gabe’s trouble was going to become the Village’s trouble.

  “Well trust that. You’re good at reading people, Seb. You have been since we were kids,” Kai said.

  “Well I kind of had to be, didn’t I? Knowing what human is likely to throw rocks at me again and who isn’t was a sort of vital skill back then, after all.” Sebastian rubbed both hands over his face, swiping them back over his head as he sat up. “Still. I didn’t see Eric for what he was becoming.”

  Kai didn’t respond and the quiet tick-tick of the wall clock competed with a distant leaf blower for their attention.

  “Neither of us saw that coming,” Kai shook his head and sighed. “I don’t think we’d have even bothered looking. We can’t beat ourselves up for not picking up on how twisted Eric’s jealousy was getting, no matter how much it hurts. Still, your judgement is a skill you can
use, and you, my friend, use it very well. I trust your take on the situation, and on Gabe himself. Keep an eye on the kid and we’ll see if we can get him to wherever he needs to be. If that’s here, then we’ll watch out for him. If that’s somewhere else where he’ll be safe and healthy, we’ll get him there. We’ve seen too much shit of our own lately to not take care of someone else dealing with theirs.”

  Sebastian smiled. This was the Kai he’d been missing since the battle with the wights. The injury Kai gained in that fight and the poison that had lingered in his system had combined with Eric’s needling to make the normally outgoing and generous man turn defensive and nervous. It was good to see the old Kai shining through again.

  “You said Doc asked him to work at the Apothecary today?” Kai asked. Sebastian nodded and Kai glanced over at the old-fashioned wall clock they had hanging next to the giant paper wall calendar by the door. This year’s calendar had kittens dressed as Jedi.

  “Well, it’s about lunchtime and honestly we don’t have anything really slated for this afternoon. Why don’t you wander over that way and see what’s going on? Worst case scenario you take Sarah to lunch, right?” Kai grinned.

  “These days? Worst case scenario has to be fighting off a horde of zombies or something while a crack team of hunters and warlocks swoop in to take me out from the back.” Now it was Sebastian’s turn to scrunch his face up. Kai just laughed.

  “Okay, that’s fair. We’ve had more than our share of excitement. I actually hope nothing happens again until Mr. Young gets back from his spring sabbatical. It’s reassuring to have the backup around, just in case.” Kai sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before physically shaking his bad mood away before it took root.

  “Agreed. What’re you doing this afternoon, if I don’t make it back?”

  “New prospective tenant emailed me. She’s going through some kind of unpleasant divorce and while she’s human, her daughter is not. She’s nervous both about raising her daughter well and about her ex being aggressive.” Kai sighed again.